Grain-car door



W. A. MCGUIRE.

GRAIN GAR DOOR.

Patented June 21,1898.

(No Model.)

Mrs rnrns ATn'r rrron.

WVILLIAM A. MCGUIRE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,170, dated June 21, 1898.

Application filedI'e'brnary 24, 1898. Serial No. 671,444. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM A. MCGUIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-CarDoors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs.

My invention relates to grain-car doors, and has for its object to provide certain improvements by which the upper edge of the door will be protected from abrasion and also to provide means whereby endwise movement of the door will be prevented, thereby preventing the escape of the grain around the ends of the door. I accomplish these objects as hereinafter described and as illustrated in the drawings. I

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a freight-car, showing the construction of the door; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing the central pivot-rod hearing.

In the drawings, 5 indicates the grain-door, which is mounted upon a pivot-rod 6, arranged to move vertically upon guide-rods 7 8, secured to the door-posts 9 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the length of the grain-door is somewhat greater than the door-openings, so that the ends of the door project beyond the inner edges of the door-posts, and when the door is centrally in position in the door-opening the escape of grain around the ends of the door is prevented. If, however, the door should be moved endwise sufficiently to open a crack between one end of the door and one of the door-posts, a passage is formed through which grain may escape, and owing to the jolting of the car in transit a very small opening may result in the loss of a very large quantity of grain. To avoid the possibility of such endwise movement, the pivot-rod 6 is secured upon the door in such manner as to prevent their independent longitudinal movement, and as longitudinal movement of the pivotrod is prevented by reason of its being connected to the guide-rods 7 8 the displacement of the grain-door is effectually prevented.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated the manner in which the grain-door and pivot-rod are prevented from moving longitudinally of each other. As shown, the pivot-rod 6 is secured on the upper edge of the door by means of bearing-plates 11 12 l3,'said plates being secured to the upper portion of the door and being adapted to form bearings in which the pivot-rod may rotate. One or more of the bearing-plates 11 12 13 may be arranged to prevent the longitudinal movement of the rod on the door; but inthe drawings I have shown only one of said plates 13 as so arranged. To this end that portion of the rod 6 which lies within the bearing of the plate 1 3 is turned down, as shown at 1a in Fig. 4,

forming shoulders opposite the edges of the bearing-plate, and as the bearing fits closely upon the rod such shoulders prevent the movement of the rod in the manner indicated. Obviously this construction may be provided at one or all of the bearing-plates, as desired.

As shown in Fig. 2, the pivot-rod 6 is provided with loops or eyes 15 16 at its ends, which somewhat loosely encircle the rods 7 S,

by which construction said rod and door are guided as they are moved upward when itis desired to move the door out of the operative position in the usual well-known manner.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the door-posts 9 10 are provided with grooves 17 1S, and the guide-rods 7 8 are fitted into said grooves so that they do not project beyond the inner faces of the door-posts, the eyes 15 16 being formed on the rod (3 on the side next to the guide-rods, so that said eyes may properly surround the guide-rods, while the rod 6 is held beyond the inner faces of the door-posts.

It will be noted that the pivot-rod 6 extends from end to end of the door and is secured upon the upper edge thereof. By this construction it forms a protection for the upper edge of the door and receives the wear caused by elevator-spouts and other devices used in loading and unloading the car and by certain classes of freight 'which are usually loaded and unloaded while the door is in place, the life of the door being thereby. greatly prolonged. Furthermore, by making the pivotrod continuous the door is relieved from the wrenching strains incident to constructions wherein separate short pivot-rods are provided at the ends of the door.

That which I claim as inyinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a grain-door, doorposts provided with grooves, and guide-rods arranged in said grooves, of a pivot-rod secured upon the upper edge of said door, said rod extending from end to end of said door and having eyes at its ends adapted to embrace the guide-rods and move vertically thereon in said grooves, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a grain-door, doorposts provided with grooves, and guide-rods secured in said grooves, of a pivot-rod secured upon the upper edge of said door, said pivotrod extending from end to end of said door and having eyes at its ends adapted to embrace the guide-rods and move vertically thereon in said grooves, and means preventing endwise movement of the door upon said pivot-rod, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a grain-door, doorposts and guide-rods secured to said doorposts, of a pivot-rod secured upon the upper edge of said door, said pivot-rod extending from end to end of said door, and having eyes at its ends adapted to embrace the guide-rods and move vertically thereon, bearing-plates secured to said door and supporting said pivotrod, said pivot-rod having shoulders at each side of one of said bearing-plates whereby endwise movement of the door, upon said pivot-rod is prevented, substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE.

Witnesses JOHN L. JACKSON, ALBERT IT. Animus. 

